Editing Ray Charles (section)

===1945–1952: Florida, Los Angeles, and Seattle===
After leaving school, Charles moved to [[Jacksonville, Florida|Jacksonville]] to live with Charles Wayne Powell, who had been friends with his late mother. He played the piano for bands at the [[Ritz Theatre (Jacksonville)|Ritz Theatre]] in [[LaVilla, Jacksonville, Florida|LaVilla]] for over a year,<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://thecoastal.com/culture/music/remembering-ray-charles-northeast-florida-roots |title=Remembering Ray Charles' Northeast Florida Roots - The Coastal |date=June 21, 2019 |access-date=June 21, 2019 |archive-date=July 26, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230726113608/https://thecoastal.com/culture/music/remembering-ray-charles-northeast-florida-roots |url-status=live }}</ref> earning $4 a night (US${{formatnum:{{Inflation|US|4|1952}}}}, in {{Inflation-year|US}} value{{inflation-fn|US}}). He joined [[Local union|Local 632]] of the [[American Federation of Musicians]], in the hope that it would help him get work,<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=4mFoCvacGLEC&pg=PA102|page=102|title=Ray Charles|first=Norman|last=Winski|publisher=Holloway House Publishing|year=1994|isbn=978-0-87067-790-8|access-date=September 26, 2020|archive-date=May 8, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240508044534/https://books.google.com/books?id=4mFoCvacGLEC&pg=PA102#v=onepage&q&f=false|url-status=live}}</ref> and was able to use the union hall's piano to practice, since he did not have one at home; he learned piano licks from copying the other players there.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=4mFoCvacGLEC&pg=PA104|page=104|title=Ray Charles|first=Norman|last=Winski|publisher=Holloway House Publishing|year=1994|isbn=978-0-87067-790-8|access-date=September 26, 2020|archive-date=May 8, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240508044412/https://books.google.com/books?id=4mFoCvacGLEC&pg=PA104#v=onepage&q&f=false|url-status=live}}</ref> He started to build a reputation as a talented musician in Jacksonville, but the jobs did not come fast enough for him to construct a strong identity, so, at age 16, he moved to [[Orlando, Florida|Orlando]], where he lived in borderline poverty and went without food for days.<ref name=Winski>{{cite book|first=Norman|last=Winski|title=Ray Charles: Singer and Musician|date=1994|publisher=Melrose Square Publishing|location=Los Angeles|isbn=0-87067-790-X|pages=[https://archive.org/details/raycharles0000wins/page/102 102–107]|url=https://archive.org/details/raycharles0000wins/page/102}}</ref> Charles eventually started to write arrangements for a pop music band, and in the summer of 1947, he unsuccessfully auditioned to play piano for [[Lucky Millinder]] and his sixteen-piece band.<ref name="Lydon Riverhead">{{cite book|last=Lydon|first=Michael|year=1998|title=Ray Charles: Man and Music|url=https://archive.org/details/raycharlesmanmus00lydo|url-access=registration|publisher=Riverhead Books|isbn=1-57322-132-5}}</ref>

In 1947, Charles moved to [[Tampa, Florida|Tampa]], where he held two jobs, including one as a pianist for Charles Brantley's Honey Dippers.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tampabaymusichistory.com/charlie-brantley-and-his-original-honey-dippers.php|title=Charlie Brantley and His Original Honey Dippers|publisher=Tampabaymusichistory.com|access-date=January 16, 2017|archive-date=October 8, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211008090312/http://www.tampabaymusichistory.com/charlie-brantley-and-his-original-honey-dippers.php|url-status=live}}</ref>

In his early career, Charles modeled himself on [[Nat King Cole]]. His first four recordings—"Wondering and Wondering", "Walking and Talking", "Why Did You Go?" and "I Found My Baby There"—were allegedly done in Tampa, although some discographies claim he recorded them in Miami in 1951 or else Los Angeles in 1952.<ref name="Lydon Riverhead"/>

Charles had always played piano for other people, but he was keen to have his own band. He decided to leave Florida for a large city, and, considering Chicago and New York City too big, followed his friend Gossie McKee to [[Seattle]], Washington, in March 1948, knowing that the biggest radio hits came from northern cities.<ref name="Lydon Riverhead"/><ref name="boheme2">{{cite news|title=Charles, Ray (1930–2004)|publisher=HistoryLink.org|url=http://www.historylink.org/essays/output.cfm?file_id=5707|access-date=May 12, 2007|archive-date=October 31, 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071031074822/http://www.historylink.org/essays/output.cfm?file_id=5707|url-status=live}}</ref> There he met and befriended, under the tutelage of [[Robert Blackwell]], the 15-year-old [[Quincy Jones]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.achievement.org/autodoc/page/jon0bio-1|title=Quincy Jones Biography|publisher=Achievement.org|access-date=December 22, 2014  |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120926221424/http://www.achievement.org/autodoc/page/jon0bio-1|archive-date=September 26, 2012}}</ref>

With Charles on piano, McKee on guitar, and Milton Garred on bass, ''The McSon Trio'' (named for '''''Mc'''''Kee and Robin'''''son''''') started playing the 1–5 A.M. shift at the Rocking Chair.<ref>{{cite book|title=Ray Charles: "I was Born with Music Inside Me"|first=Carin T.|last=Ford|publisher=Enslow Publishers, Inc.|year=2007|isbn=978-0-7660-2701-5|url=https://archive.org/details/raycharlesiwasbo00ford/page/8}}</ref> Publicity photos of this trio are some of the earliest known photographs of Charles. In April 1949, he and his band recorded "[[Confession Blues]]", which became his first national hit, soaring to the second spot on the Billboard R&B chart.<ref name="Lydon Riverhead"/> While still working at the Rocking Chair, Charles also arranged songs for other artists, including [[Cole Porter]]'s "Ghost of a Chance" and [[Dizzy Gillespie]]'s "Emanon".<ref name=Winski/> After the success of his first two singles, Charles moved to Los Angeles in 1950 and spent the next few years touring with the blues musician [[Lowell Fulson]] as Fulson's musical director.<ref name="NPR death"/>

In 1950, Charles' performance in a Miami hotel impressed [[Henry Stone]], who went on to record a Ray Charles Rockin' record, which did not achieve popularity. During his stay in Miami, Charles was required to stay in the [[Racial segregation in the United States|segregated]] but thriving black community of [[Overtown (Miami)|Overtown]]. Stone later helped [[Jerry Wexler]] find Charles in [[St. Petersburg, Florida|St. Petersburg]].<ref>{{cite web|first=Jacob|last=Katel|url=http://www.miaminewtimes.com/2012-11-22/news/henry-stone-legendary-soul|title=Henry Stone: Legendary Soul|work=Miami New Times|date=November 22, 2012|access-date=February 14, 2013|archive-date=January 10, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150110143845/http://www.miaminewtimes.com/2012-11-22/news/henry-stone-legendary-soul/}}</ref>

After signing with [[Swing Time Records]], Charles recorded two more R&B hits under the name Ray Charles: "Baby, Let Me Hold Your Hand" (1951), which reached No. 5, and "Kissa Me Baby" (1952), which reached No. 8. Swing Time folded the following year, and [[Ahmet Ertegun]] signed Charles to [[Atlantic Records|Atlantic]].<ref name=boheme/>

In addition to being a musician, Charles was also a record producer, producing [[Guitar Slim]]'s number 1 hit, "[[The Things That I Used to Do]]".